My Light in the Darkness
by another epiphany
Summary: When Annabeth was 10 years old, she was kidnapped. After a few months of being held in captivity, a young boy helped her escape. 7 years later, when things are seeming dark again, a green-eyed piece of her past returns to light her path in the darkness. When they fall hard for each other with so many secrets between them, how will the truth of the past become unlocked? Percabeth AU
1. Prologue

**Guess whooseee baaaacccck? Well, at least for the moment.** **I have returned with an arsenal of big words, better grammar, and some really life-changing experiences. Two years really changes you. So, this is an idea I came up with while I was still writing TT, so I didn't publish anything. Now, I'm like super anxious to see people's reactions to this. I know it's dark, but bear with me. I'm so excited for MOA and because of my Percabeth deprivation, I felt the need to release this into fanfiction. Don't ask about a sequel to TT because I don't know where I stand on that. I hope you really enjoy this and please tell me what you think in a review!**

This first chapter is in Annabeth's point of view...

**Disclaimer: Rick owns PJATO, not me!**

...

My Light in the Darkness

**Prologue:**

All I saw was darkness.

It all started when I left home. I had packed a bag full of my most important belongings, only leaving a few of my distasteful items and a note on the kitchen counter. My father no longer cared for me like he used to when my mom was still around. My step-mom treated me like we were not family, favoring her two sons. But, the way they all treated me didn't make we want to leave. I told my father that I left because of my mother's death that had occurred a few years ago, which was a lie. The real reason I left was because I wanted to explore the outside world and be an individual. I was good enough, right?

Wrong.

So innocent and naïve, I stepped into the woods in the dark of night. Before I could scream, a dirt-covered hand was clamped over my mouth. I kicked and fought, but to no avail. Before I knew it, the consuming mass of darkness had engulfed my vision.

The next thing I knew, I was being violently tossed into a small cell. The darkness was not only uncomforting, but also paired with a disgusting stench that was unfamiliar to me. The floor of the cell was wet, but in the darkness I could not tell if the substance below me was water or blood- or possibly even a mixture between the two.

_If only I hadn't run away from the comfort of my home._

I cried and I cried, hopelessly sprawled across the cell floor with my head in my hands. Minutes, hours, or maybe even days passed before I started to think about getting out of the cell. _Where am I?_ I wondered. _Why am I here? Have I done something wrong?_ The darkness had never lifted from my vision, and I was starting to fear that I would eventually go blind if there was nothing to see. My heart stuttered when I heard a voice to my left.

"Hello?" It asked. It was a boy, I decided; someone who was near my age. I turned towards the voice and shuffled across my cell, letting my hands travel across the wall until I found what divided us. The boy and I were separated by a collection of jail cell bars; an impenetrable wall that we could not pass through. "Is anyone there?" He sounded alone.

"You aren't alone," I replied in a whisper, using my voice for the first time since I was taken to this dark place. I reached my hand through the bars out towards him and he grabbed it with a small callused hand. We cried together.

Every day, at least once, a man would push a tray of food under the cell. I didn't exactly know what the food was, because of the constant darkness, but I ate it acceptingly- avoiding death. The boy and I talked occasionally, but we never exchanged names. Instead, we made up nicknames for each other. He was seaweed brain, because of his love for water and the fact that he was very blunt sometimes. He called me Wise Girl, because I'm so smart (ha-ha). He had a mother at home who he loved more than anything in the world. He loved to swim and he was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia recently. I told him about my family and how I shared the same disorders. We never talked about why we were here, simply because we didn't know. I wondered every second why I was kidnapped and thrown in a dirty dark cell, but it didn't really matter. I knew that I was not going to ever get out of this situation unless I had a plan.

"We have to get out of here," I whispered to him one day. "There has to be a way, we need a plan." He took a pause after I spoke and then replied.

"Got any ideas?"

"Well, you know how someone comes and drops off food for us every day? Somehow we need to get his keys to unlock our cells. I don't know exactly _how_ yet but it's a start," I explained in a hushed tone. "When he makes his rounds next time, I think I'm going to try to talk to him." If only I knew how naive we were to consider such.

"I guess you could give it a shot," he said softly.

When the man with the food made his rounds, I took action.

"What are the daily specials today? Yesterday my meal was _totally_ undercooked," I said jokingly. I could hear him as he stopped in his tracks and moved back towards my cell. I could hear the creaking of the door as he reached inside and yanked my arm. I should have known better than to say sarcastic remarks to someone who works with kidnapping children.

He pulled me across the soggy floor and into another room that somehow seemed even darker than my cell. I whimpered softly as he pulled off my shirt, the one I had been wearing since I had been taken to this prison. He traced his cold fingers across my back and my breathing quickened. I could have never braced myself for what happened next.

_Crack_

The first 3 whips were the worst and then the pain was so great that it began to numb out. Tears ran down my face as he howled with laughter. He was a mad man in his natural habitat, taking out his misery on my small fragile body. I could feel the blood dripping down my back and the breath escaping my lungs.

"Never, _ever_, say a word about your food ever again, or I promise you that I can do worse," he chuckled as I collapsed onto the floor in a puddle of my own blood. I no longer only feared the darkness.

A few weeks after my first plan went awry, Seaweed Brain was moved into my cell to create more space for a new victim. The new child never talked and embraced the darkness almost as if he was used to it. The night that he arrived, the sounds of what I assumed was thunder filled the empty dark hallways and echoed off the walls. It almost sounded like a whip cracking in the wind.

I continued to create escape plans after I started getting used to the punishment. Every time I uttered a word that they heard I would be whipped until my body was numb. I was bruised and beaten from the times that I tried to steal the key ring from the guard as he dragged me out of my cell to be punished. The worst pain of all was when one man took a knife and cut words into my skin, as if he was writing on the thinnest sheet of paper. Occasionally, the guards would hold what I later realized was a gun against my forehead or between my shoulder blades.

"Listen to me or I'm pulling the trigger," they would say.

Sometimes I was glad that it was dark. I didn't want anyone, including myself, to see me in the state that I was. Seaweed Brain would receive similar punishments whenever he would defend me or try his own foolish plans. Escape seemed hopeless.

One day, things ended differently than usual.

Seaweed Brain decided that he would try something more difficult and dangerous this time to escape. Even though I was against his idea, I do admit that it was brilliant. In the darkness, the guards would not know if the cell had been closed up after they left or not. He told me that he was going to sacrifice himself to be punished and that I should try to run away and escape while he was being taken away.

"I'm not leaving without you," I would say, countless times.

"It's better if at least one of us gets out alive, Wise Girl," He'd always reply. Then finally, I agreed to try, keeping in consideration that the guards couldn't do much worse to me than they already had.

"I'll never forget you," I whispered to him in a hushed tone, wrapping my arms around what felt like his body. He hugged me tightly and whispered in my ear.

"We will see each other again soon, I promise." I nodded and shuffled over to the edge of the cell, beneath a canopy of shadows. My hands felt for the bottom of the door. I wedged my foot so that it would work as a stopper when the guard opened the cell to take Seaweed Brain away. Even if this crazy plan did work, I'd never forgive myself for leaving him. But, he wanted me to do this and I couldn't disappoint him.

"Here he comes," Seaweed Brain whispered softly upon hearing the loud pounding footsteps. "Hey, ugly!" He shouted to the guard whilst knocking his fist against the bars. "Can I have two servings today?"

The guard suddenly slammed into the bars in a fit of rage. He reached for his keys and jammed them into the lock, creating a satisfying click. I held my breath. The guard grabbed Seaweed Brain by the arm and yanked him outside of the cell. When he went to close up the cell, Seaweed Brain shoved what seemed like his hands over the guard's eyes.

"Get off me you stupid kid!" The man grunted, blind. I quickly pulled open the cell door and raced away, faster than I had ever raced before. We had picked the perfect time to initiate our plan. As far as I could see, no other guards were at their posts which gave me the perfect opportunity to escape. I heard loud footsteps behind me and ran faster.

"Go faster, he's gaining on us!" A voice I never thought I'd hear again shouted through the cavern. Seaweed Brain must have escaped from the guard's grasp just in time to race after me. Everything was going according to plan. I saw light further down the long, winding, cavern. For the first time since I had been kidnapped, the darkness started peeling away. I ran faster.

A tall ladder with small footholds was the only thing that separated me and the outside world. I raced up, two rungs at a time, upon hearing the guard shout. I was so close! Pure adrenaline was pumping through my veins as I climbed relentlessly. Beams of light shined through the cracks of the trapdoor at the top of the ladder. With one hard push, the trapdoor was open and I was a few feet from freedom. The light, new to my eyes, blurred my vision. After blinking rapidly a few times, I made the mistake of looking down. Seaweed Brain was a few rungs from the top and had gotten stuck because the guard had grabbed his leg. For the first time, I saw a blurred picture of his face through my unadjusted eyes. He had long jet black hair, probably from not being cut in the cell, and the greenest eyes I'd ever seen. I reached out my hand towards him, trying to pull him towards the top with my undeveloped ten year old muscles.

I wasn't strong enough.

"Let go," Seaweed Brain whispered. "Let go," he repeated, this time louder. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I realized that the price of my freedom was losing the person who gave it to me.

_I'll never forget you_, I mouthed to him_._ I released his hand and closed the trapdoor quickly before the guard could grab me too. As I ran towards the sounds of civilization, I cried. I cried for Seaweed Brain, who had given up his freedom to let me escape unscathed. I cried for all the other people this had ever happened to. Lastly, I cried for myself. As I looked down at my arms and legs, all I saw were scars._ Bitch_ was carved into my left arm and each letter was still crusted with blood. My hair was so tangled and bloody that I'd probably have to cut it all off. Ten year old girls were not supposed to have to handle things like this.

After reaching a familiar highway, I realized that I had finally gotten what I always wanted. I could see the light again. Granted, my vision was extremely blurry because I hadn't seen anything other than darkness for a very long time. But, I was finally _free._

And yet, I never had felt so _alone._

**Hope you loved it! Sorry for the totally dark atmosphere, that's why this is rated T. Don't worry, the next few chapters are MUCH more uplifting. The title to this isn't solidified yet, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to finish out this story in my free time. Please review, it means the world to me!**

**With love, AE**


	2. Boy Meets Girl

**Disclaimer: Rick owns PJaTO characters, not muah. **

**...**

**Chapter 1: Boy Meets Girl**

Annabeth can still remember everything from those three months.

She can still feel the cold metal gun, pressed between her shoulder blades. And the beads of sweat that dripped from her brow, settling on her cheeks and lips, over the tears- were just as familiar.

That taste, the disgusting stench of bile and blood, made her nauseous just thinking about it. She couldn't remember a time when she wasn't nauseous. She could feel the dirty cloth tied around her jaw, constricting each breath and catching the blood emitted from biting so hard on her tongue.

But that wasn't the worst part, and though it was terribly disgusting and unbearable to think about, it didn't compare to the other things they did to her. No, they didn't rape her, because that would only make her silent. They wanted answers, so they used other means to receive them.

The worst part wasn't the lies they would feed her every night, giving her false hopes of going home someday to her family.

It wasn't how they continued to ask her the same questions, again and again, even though she knew that she didn't have any answers.

And even though they almost killed her, the daily beatings, gun wounds, infections, and whippings were no match to the thoughts that ran through her brain every day.

The worst part to a stubborn girl like Annabeth Chase was accepting that no matter what she did or what she planned, she could never get out of that place alone. After countless days of creating plans to escape, eventually after being beaten breathless after each time she was caught, she gave up.

It sounds dreadful, doesn't it? That girl, Annabeth Chase, was confined for three months by a gang of mentally unstable men who captured teenagers to steal money from their parents. But in Annabeth's case, it wasn't cash from her dad that the men wanted. They only desired the will of her late mother that passes on millions of dollars' worth of savings. She never completely understood why they believed that the will was passed on directly to her and not to her parent guardian who was safe at home believing that she had ran away because of her mother's death.

But after three months of darkness, a sliver of hope slid through the tight bars of her cell. It was on that faithful day that a boy, someone who was about her age, helped her escape.

She hates how she remembers everything about that day- the day when a boy whom she barely knew gave up his freedom for hers. He had saved her life by distracting the guard on duty and giving her a moment to sprint out of the underground confinement center and run down the highway until she found civilization, and eventually, home. It was selfless of him to do such, saving her own life and not his own. She often wondered if he had ever managed to get away himself.

She made herself believe that it didn't matter what this mysterious boy had done, and to just accept the priceless favor he had done her. Without his help, she may have been dead right now. Or maybe even worse- still in captivity. But living through the experience was probably worse than being killed during the experience. It was difficult to keep it all a secret from her dad, who believed her when she claimed that she had run away and sliced herself up in the woods, explaining the thin white scars covering her arms and legs. Annabeth could tell that he needed to believe her because he didn't want to imagine what the real story was.

And she really didn't want to tell him.

As much as she wanted to report the location of the underground jail, she was too scared. They would ask for her name, or maybe some proof that the information was not just a scam. She couldn't let anyone know what happened during those three months and the dreams that leave her waking up screaming. It had to be her personal secret.

Now, seven years later, she has successfully built high walls of defense around herself. In seven years, she hadn't gone swimming, always wore long sleeves or jackets, and only learned to trust a few of her friends from high school. She was still confident, but it was hard to _never _tell anyone about what had happened to her in years past. She had experienced more than each person in her classroom combined. It's hard to keep a secret so monumental that it could change the lives of others. Were other children kidnapped after her?

At one point she stopped wondering.

**...**

All I heard around me was the sound of pencils, circling letters and scratching out answers on the same Calculus test that sat in front of me. I couldn't really focus on anything but the pencils- scratching and squeaking. The boy sitting next to me whose name I had forgotten definitely needed a new pencil. His pathetic yellow mechanic pencil was squeaking up a storm. On a scale from silent to sonorous, his pencil was a shrill- so loud its pitch could only be heard by Annabeth Chase and it is clearly the most boisterous pencil whenever our class takes tests.

"Miss Chase?" I lifted my head up and turned it slightly sideways, meeting my math teacher's stony glare.

It was obvious that the teacher believed that I had been cheating and not just staring at that boy's pencil. I lowered my eyes back to my paper and decided to keep them there for the rest of the class period. That decision changed when I heard a soft knock on the door. Without hesitation, the door was yanked open to reveal the guidance counselor standing by an unfamiliar dark-haired boy who was clad in a black hoodie and jeans. The boy looked down, refusing to even glance at the classroom before him. I could relate.

"Miss Kos, I have a new student for you. I am putting him in all honors classes and if he can't keep up I'll change him to a basic schedule. Do you mind if I drop him off here?" The counselor didn't even wait for an answer before slightly pushing the boy into the classroom and slamming the door behind her. I never really considered her as the most decent human being.

"What is your name, sir?" The teacher asked expectantly. Miss Kos gestured to the empty seat in front of me before speaking again. "You can sit in the empty seat in the third row." He paced over to the seat and quickly seated himself before answering.

"Percy Jackson." He mumbled loud enough for both the teacher and I to comprehend.

"Well, we are having a test right now so if you don't mind being quiet for a few more minutes…"

"No problem," he replied, slumping down into his seat and laying his head on the desk. I glanced at him for one more moment before putting my own pencil to the paper, beginning the Calculus test, already sure that I would pass with flying colors.

…

"Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson." Two weeks after his arrival, the new boy had already dipped his feet into the high school scene. Surprisingly, he had quickly befriended Grover Underwood, a misunderstood tree hugger that also was decent friends with me. Well, it wasn't really surprising that he had become friends with Grover since Grover is always looking for new friends. What really surprised me is that he had also befriended almost every single one of my close-knit friends.

It was almost like he was part of my social group now.

Why do I say almost? The reason is simple- because he hasn't exactly made nice with me yet. Yes, we have talked- small talked. But I do admit that I feel a connection to him, almost like he is more important than everything else that is going on.

"A plus!" The teacher exclaimed in joy and handed back our group project to Percy and I. Mythology is definitely the biggest thing we have in common.

"Jealous of my A plus?" He challenged, waiting for me to take the bait.

"You mean my A plus? Yes, I'm sure you're very envious of it." _Hook, line, and sinker Perseus_, I thought.

"Can you define the phrase 'group project'?"

"Can you define the phrase 'you're an idiot'?"

"Can you please use that in a sentence?"

"Can you please die?"

"How about the meaning and origin?"

"How about I make you shut up?" I raised my fist defiantly. This was probably more than I had said in weeks, let alone a few minutes. For some reason, this boy brought out a better side of me- a better side that enjoyed messing with him.

"How about you don't?"

"Good question."

"Thanks for the compliment, Chase."

"Thanks for being an idiot, Jackson," I retorted jokingly.

"Shut up you too!" Thalia whispered angrily from a few tables away. "I'm trying to count the bricks on the wall!" Did I also mention that most of my friends, including me, all have terrible cases of ADHD? "Dammit I lost count!"

"Language, Thalia," Mr. Brunner chastised from the front of the room. Thalia sent him a shrug and turned back towards the wall to start counting again.

That's pretty much how each day repeated itself for about a week.

From what I've seen in the past week, Percy was a boy hidden behind a dark hoodie. He could have played many roles within the high school scene; the misunderstood bad boy that every girl wants, the popular jock, or even the boy who hides behind his own shadow. Instead, he chose to blend in with my friends and I, slowly letting everyone see pieces of his personality. After getting to know him for such a short period of time, I already knew that he was caring, sensitive, brave, reckless, and blunt.

Distracted while processing these thoughts, I accidentally walked straight into our school's idiot first-string basketball junky. He was an example of someone who I really, _really_ hated. The worst part was that he was carrying his lunch tray while I slammed into him, causing his corn and mystery mash potatoes to spill all over me.

"Watch where you're going freak!" Chad, also known as the most obnoxious boy _ever_, shouted. He actually sounded pretty angry.

"I wasn't the only one that wasn't watching where they were going, Chad," I replied venomously. I swear I was burning a hole into his face with my glare.

"Now I don't have any lunch! Thanks a lot, nerd," He sneered and gestured towards his tray that he dropped on the floor when we walked into each other. "You made me drop my tray!"

I sighed and bent down to pick up the lunch tray for him. When I looked up, his eyes were down my shirt. This is why I don't like Chad. "Pervert!" I shouted, slapping him clear across the face. In a few moments, I had successfully changed his mood from mad to furious.

"You're going to pay for that bitch." The immature teenager shouted as he shoved me by my shoulders. I balled up my fists and went into a fighting stance. Before I could lunge at him, someone grabbed my arm from behind. Strangely enough, it was Percy.

"It's not worth it," Percy whispered in my ear. I realized that he was right. Beating up Chad (don't underestimate me) would definitely put a big red flag on my permanent record. "Well, well Chad. I didn't exactly see you as the type of guy that tries to hurt girls. Weren't you raised better than that?" I could hear the smirk in Percy's voice.

"Is the little shy boy trying to save the annoying nerdy girl? How sweet. You know Jackson, if you hadn't made friends with _her_ and those other _wannabes_, maybe we could have been friends." Chad replied with an amused look in his eyes. "Too little too late, I suppose."

Percy looked offended at this and sent a piercing glare towards Chad. Then he started walking towards him with first balled and jaw clenched. Chad raised his eyebrows as Percy left about a foot of space between them. "Ooh, scary," Chad muttered, looking slightly up at Percy's 6'1 frame a few inches above him. For Percy, it seemed like that comment was the last straw. He shoved Chad against the wall and held him up by the collar on his polo.

Percy was _much_ stronger than I mentally gave him credit for.

"You listen, punk. If I ever see you lay your hands on any of my friends, I am going to shove you so hard into this wall that your stupid big head will crush right through it!" For good measure, he shoved Chad a little harder to prove his point. "Understand _Chad_?_"_ Being the incompetent ass he is, Chad tried to break free of Percy's grip, struggling against the wall.

"Okay, okay, I'll stay away from your friends." Percy reluctantly let go of Chad's polo and let him slide to the floor. As Chad sauntered away, somehow still confident with his own abilities, he said, "Just because I'm not going to touch her doesn't say the same for my friends. Don't say I didn't warn you when she doesn't come back to school one day!" Chad snickered as my breath caught in my throat. Percy lunged again but I reached up grabbed his shoulder before he could reach Chad.

"It's not worth it," I whispered in his ear and his body slowly began to release its tension.

"Annabeth, you're _always_ worth it," he whispered, causing my heart to swell. How could a boy be so selfless? I felt greedy standing next to him. "Let's go get you cleaned up."

"Thank you, for everything," I whispered, holding eye contact with him for a few moments before starting to walk towards the bathroom with him by my side.

When Chad and a few of his friends returned to school the next day with black eyes and bruises, I realized one thing.

I was really starting to like Percy Jackson.

** ...**

** Another chapter within a week? Wow, I really care about my 17 followers! Thanks for the good reception to this. At the beginning of the next chapter I'm going to pick my favorite review and post it, answering any questions. I feel like 6 reviews was a good start and I'm glad that nobody complained :). So, lovies, hope you enjoyed and please review [you could be my favorite *raises eyebrows*]. Hope you gusta-ed [liked] it. **

**With love, **

**AE**

**PS, this is an AU so no demigods, sorry amigos.**


	3. Paralyzed

**Kay so, I meant to update this every WEEK but things became hectic with grades coming and whatnot so the date was postponed. The first quarter of my school is winding to an end so my next update should be much closer to the near future than this one. If there are any glaring mistakes, it's probably because I rushed through it and only proofread once. I was just super excited to get this out because I am actually pretty happy with it. Events in the story are going to run pretty slowly considering I want to hold off the climax for a later part of the story. BUT, in my story plan every chapter has a significant event that occurs, so you'll never get bored :) Hope you love it, sorry again for the lateness. Enjoy;**

**I wish I owned these characters and PJATO but sadly, Rick Riordan does. **

Chapter 2: Paralyzed

_I shuddered as the cold blanket of darkness wrapped around me. My teeth chattered uncontrollably as I pressed my back harder against the cold stone wall. Within the damp underground cell, the air was cold and still. It was suffocating me with its embrace, keeping me paralyzed in fear._

_"It's cold," the boy whom I shared my cell with whispered under his breath. I nodded vigorously, even though I knew we were both blind in the darkness. _

_Thunderous footsteps seemed to create a faux earthquake below me. In the silence, I could hear the squishing sounds of a guard's shoes against the damp dirt floor and the sound of keys jingling against each other. The man gruffly sighed as he felt for the lock and inserted the correct key._

_To my surprise, he grabbed my arm and forcibly led me outside of the cell towards an unfamiliar room. One small light bulb lit the hallway and my eyes had trouble adjusting to the artificial light. A polished wooden door stood at the end of a corridor that I had never been taken to before. Within the room at the end of the hallway was a single desk and chair, lit with another singular light bulb hanging from the ceiling. _

_"I'm sure you're wondering why we brought you here," a male voice with a thick northern accent uttered. He walked out from the shadows, a man who seemed to appear as if he was only a mere young adult of 21, with two husky men guarding his sides. It almost seemed like a scene out of a movie. My body seemed to gain a mind of its own and started to nod. "Athena, your mother, passed onto you something that we desire."_

_I cleared my dry throat before replying. "Not to rain on your parade or anything, sir, but my mother didn't pass anything onto me. Also, why the heck would you bring me here three weeks ago and choose now to mention to me what you wanted. I don't exactly put your little cells on the same level as a five star hotel." I was finished crying and letting myself become consumed in my own sorrow. I was finally fighting back._

_"Sit," the man said as one of his men pulled the chair out from under the desk. "If you just sit down and answer our questions, we won't need to keep you here any longer." I yanked my arm away from the guard who led me here and sauntered towards the rickety wooden chair._

_"Ask away, detective," I snapped sarcastically, leaning back into the chair and sitting my feet atop the table._

_"Athena Chase, your mother, died a broke woman drowning in debt. A few months after she died, her company Olympus began to profit. All of the money that would have gone to your mother was stored in her inheritable bank account. Before she died, she created a will that bestowed ownership of her billion dollar bank account. We have received Intel that her will was passed on to you," the man explained, waving his arms in the air as he paused for dramatic effect between phrases. I let the information sink in before conjuring a reply._

_"Sorry, but I have no idea what you're talking about," I snarled, rolling my eyes at the man. I saw anger flash across his wild eyes when he realized the game I was playing. If only I had realized that angering the man who kidnapped me was a terrible idea. _

_"There are two ways we can do this, brat," the man growled, his demeanor entirely changed. "Either you can give me answers or I can force them out of you." He stepped towards me and slapped his hand onto the desk while sending me the most terrifying glare I had ever received. I swear my body had begun shaking._

_"I… I'm telling the truth! There was never a will! When my mom died she was already living separately from my dad and I. Maybe my dad has it, but not me," I murmured, shutting my eyes tightly preparing for some sort of punishment. _

_Instead of the pain I expected, a cold piece of metal landed itself upon my temple. I didn't have to open my eyes to know what it was. _

_"I'm not afraid to pull the trigger, brat. If you don't know where the will is, is there any special code your mother would use or a place she used to hide things?" My body convulsed as I rapidly scanned my brain for an answer. He pressed the gun harder against my temple._

_"My birthday!" I shouted, almost too anxiously. "She uses my birthday- September seventeenth, nineteen ninety five!" The pressure was removed from my temple, causing me to sigh softly in relief. _

_"We're done for today, but just remember that I am not afraid to shoot," the man commented before pulling me out of the chair and pushing my towards the guard who brought me to the dimly lit room. The man smirked as he pointed his gun at one of the burly men who had previously been guarding him. "You will learn that I have no heart or soul when it comes to business. I only keep the things I need, not the things I want," he spoke. Then he pulled the trigger._

My ears were ringing as I slammed my hand on the snooze button of my alarm clock. Somehow, seven years later, I was still having nightmares about my three months spent underground in captivity. I almost felt lucky that my alarm clock had interrupted the flashback. I stretched my arms above my head, hearing the satisfying pops and crackles of my unwinding muscles. I swung my legs over the side of my bed, hopping off, and started to head towards my bathroom to freshen up for school.

Before I could even start brushing my teeth, I heard a few loud knocks on my bedroom door. My father stumbled in with a smile on his face, carrying a plate full of my favorite breakfast: chocolate chip pancakes with syrup.

"Happy Birthday! Annabeth, you're eighteen- an official adult. I don't want you growing up and leaving me!" I couldn't believe that I had forgotten my own birthday. "At least I still have you for the rest of your senior year," my father said with a small smile. It was strange to see him so worked up, paying me so much attention. Usually I was the last person he wanted to talk to. But, birthdays had always been a pretty big thing in our family, so in his mind he was making up for all the times that he had neglected me by treating me like royalty on my birthday.

"Don't worry, dad, I'm not leaving just yet," I replied, wrapping my arms around him in a hug. Even if he forgot about me sometimes, he was the only family I had left.

The rest of the morning flew by in a cheerful blur. Upon arriving at school, Thalia and some of my other close friends attacked me with happy birthdays and terrible singing. To my surprise, even Percy, a boy I had met about a month ago, also sent me birthday wishes.

"Tonight has to be fantastic," Thalia announced at our lunch table later that afternoon. "Any ideas?"

"Well, I was thinking that we could just go to my house and watch some movies...," I started.

"Let's go clubbing!" Silena, one of my closer friends, shouted eagerly. "It's Friday, most of us are already 18 and I know this really great teen club downtown!"

"Oh my gosh that would be so much fun! I've never been clubbing before," Grover's girlfriend, Juniper squealed.

"I'm really starting to warm up to the watching movies idea," Percy stated.

"Sorry girls but I agree with Perce here. I don't need some creepy guy from a teen club taking my girl away," Charles Beckendorf, who everyone just calls Beckendorf, said while wrapping his arm around Silena, his girlfriend.

I smiled before saying, "looks like you've been overruled girls."

"Not so fast, birthday girl. I agree with these girls, we have to do something special. Clubbing would definitely be fun!" Thalia, the one who was normally unenthusiastic about social events, said.

"Just think about all the cute guys who might be there! It's not like we'll be drinking or anything!" Silena added with more squeals.

"Fine," I muttered. "Clubbing it is." Beck, Percy, and Grover sighed as Juniper, Thalia, and Silena began to plan out the night. Beckendorf whispered something in Percy's ear that caused his face to burn scarlet. I sent him a questioning look, but he dismissed me as if to say it was nothing. Suddenly, the bell rang signifying the end of the lunch period and I headed to my last class period. I felt myself smiling when my mind began to wonder what I would wear tonight.

Is this what happiness feels like?

**-LALALALINEBREAK-**

"What are your plans for the night, Annabeth? I was thinking that maybe we could all go out for a family dinner…," my dad started to say, following my arrival home from school.

"Sorry dad, my friends and I already made plans. Is it okay if I stay over at Silena's house tonight?" I asked hopefully. Silena planned to take us all back to her house after clubbing since her parents weren't home for the weekend.

My father sighed before replying. "Alright, but we're going to miss you!"

"Don't worry dad, we can go out to dinner another night. Just because it won't be my birthday won't make it any less special." I said this know that things would return to normal in the next few weeks and I would continue to be ignored. My father took my gesture willingly and walked off towards the kitchen, done with his efforts to bond with me for the rest of the year. I felt my heart drop even though I didn't want it to.

Twenty minutes later, I arrived at Silena's house, requested to come early so she could get me ready for tonight. Though I didn't really want a full out makeover, I knew that I had to make tonight _memorable_. I needed new memories to block out months' worth of corrupt material. Every aspect of my life had become plagued with sick comparisons. Every time I step on a stick, I feel my bones snapping. Whenever someone puts their hand on my shoulder, I tense so tight that nothing could unwind me. _Run _my body tells me. Maybe that's why I'm so good at _running away_.

"Tonight is going to be perfect!" Silena spoke confidently, something I wish I could manage to do with as much poise. The minutes slowly passed as she picked out clothes and makeup for me, accepting that I would basically reject 75% of everything she suggested. By nightfall, I was clad in a white tank top, some sort of bodycon skirt, and a cropped leather jacket. I'll spare you the details.

In the blink of an eye, we were on our way. Silena decided that she would take Thalia, Juniper, and I and that the boys would just meet us there. My stomach knotted with anticipation as I lowered myself into her passenger seat. What would happen tonight? My hands subconsciously clenched and unclenched themselves on my lap as Silena started up her sports car.

"Woah Annie, awfully nervous," Thalia commented, eying my hands. "It's just like partying except with more strangers, nothing to worry about!"

"It's not exactly nervousness," I replied carefully. "More like anticipation." The lie tasted sour in my mouth. I was definitely _nervous_ to spend a few hours in the near _darkness_ with strangers. What was I thinking, letting my friends drag me along for this? A wave of calmness washed over me as we arrived and I saw familiar faces a few yards away waiting for us. I smiled as Percy walked over towards the car after Silena parked and opened my door for me. We had fallen into a consistent pattern, Percy and I, one in which it seemed like we had known each other forever. I like the way his name sounds on my tongue, especially when it's paired with mine- _Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson. _

"Ready to party everyone?" Thalia shouted. Silena, Juniper, and a few other girls excitedly paced through the doors. I stood behind the crowd with the boys, obviously much less ready to party.

"After you, birthday girl," Percy said with a smile, unwinding his arm that had somehow become linked with mine to open the door. He knew how to make me feel special. I liked that.

We were greeted by the sound of pounding bass lines and eardrum-piercing pop music. Everyone paid a two dollar entrance fee before piling through another set of doorways where the music was somehow even louder. I quickly found myself drowning in the sea of bodies, lost without a familiar face in sight. Percy, my protector in his dashing green dress shirt, had disappeared from my side unexpectedly.

"Excuse me," I shouted over the music several times pushing through the crowd of sweaty teenagers and young adults. Suddenly, the atmosphere changed as I felt my heartbeat slow down along with the music. A face, so defined and wrong, only identifiable by a long winding scar, found its way in front of my gaze. It seemed to not have aged since the last time I saw it six years ago. My body was paralyzed a few feet away from him and as hard as I tried, I could not move my gaze away from him.

_"You will learn that I have no heart or soul when it comes to business. I only keep the things I need, not the things I want."_

My heart completely stopped when he noticed me and started to stride towards me with the confidence I was used to. He looked so much more polished than he previously had, but still seemed so rough and violent.

"Hey darling, like what you see?" After hearing his thick northern accent, I knew it was him. I breathed a sigh of relief when he seemed to not recognize me. He took this sigh the wrong way and smirked. My hand clenched by my side, my body seemingly coming alive again, yearning to punch him senseless. All the pain I had ever experienced in my life had been _his_ fault. I was broken because of _him_. He deserved to die, right here and now, I decided. But, I couldn't even convince my body to lay a finger on him.

It was the fear- the fear that he had bestowed upon me so many years ago, that of which was coursing through my veins at the very thought of his essence. He was a man, who now probably aged near 30, when I was only a mere child. This day, the one where I aged to a true adult, suddenly became the one where I felt the youngest. I turned around to walk away, or even run, but his cold hand clenched on my arm paralyzing me once again. He forcibly turned me towards him again.

"Don't run away, I won't bite."

"Let go," I forced out, almost trembling from the fear. I felt like closing my eyes, waiting for the blow that usually followed disagreement. I couldn't wrap my head around the idea that I wasn't someone he could control anymore. I was _free, _wasn't I?

"Feisty one, aren't you? I like girls who aren't afraid of what they want." A sick smirk returned to his scarred face. I wanted to slap it right off. "Now, let's go have some fun." He gripped my arm harder and began to pull me through the crowd towards the back of the club.

He had brought me to a dark secluded corner, where the wall was cold but his fingertips felt colder as they brushed over my shoulder. His slimy lips climbed up my neck as I stood rigidly still, unable to shove him away. Help, I wanted to scream. Even the strobe lights couldn't illuminate him as he violated my personal space and tried to push off my jacket. I started to tremble upon realizing that he would see the scars. He would know who I was and he would take me away again.

"Get off her!" My heart jumped with happiness as I spotted Percy behind the man's shoulder.

"Percy," I whispered weakly, reaching my arm out as the man backed away.

"I wouldn't suggest challenging me, boy," the man shouted as he turned away from me towards Percy. "I think it would be best if you just went back to your kiddie rides and action figures." I was appalled when the man compared Percy to the likes of a young boy. Percy almost seemed like more of an adult than the man himself with his wild green eyes and jaw clenched tightly. I would delve into how handsome he looked as well, but I don't exactly pin this moment as a good occasion to do so.

"You," Percy whispered as if he had just realized something, staring at the man with great intensity. In the flash of a green strobe light, Percy had pounced onto the man. Before the man collapsed to the floor, he grabbed my arm sending me to the ground with him. Pain shot through my body as my head crashed into the dark tile floor.

The scene began to fade away from me quickly. The last thing saw was Percy throwing a punch into the man's face before I let the darkness that I had always feared consume me, willingly.

**Another somewhat dramatic AE event. Yay? So guys, thank you so much for the reviews and stuff! I really appreciate the responses. Remember, when I am just sitting all bored and whatnot, reviews are what inspire me to write out chapters. So if you want more and you want it fast, review! If you have any GOOD questions, I will respond haha. Thanks for reading, forever enjoy...**

**w/Love, AE :)**


	4. Back in Time

**Don't let my obnoxious line breaks ruin the mood I try _so_ hard to create.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy and Annabeth simply because they own each other ;)

**Chapter 3: Back in Time**

All my life, I've never liked the smell of hospitals. The first time I ever visited one was when my mother was on her deathbed. I was so young and naïve, hardly able to realize what was going on. My mother, so broken is disfigured with the curse of sickness, whispered to my family in hushed tones.

"It's going to be alright, Annabeth darling," she'd whisper hoarsely. "I'm going to be fine."

My father sat with his head in his hands, hiding his tears from the rest of my mother's family. I remember being so lost and confused until my father explained to me what was going on. She's dying, they would all say as they individually whispered prayers over her head.

"She was so young and never had the opportunity to live a full life", my father would often tell me in the aftermath.

Pancreatic cancer was the culprit of the crime that dimmed the light in my father's eyes and caused me to make irrational decisions later in my childhood. It had silently crept into my mother's body and left no survivors. Hospitals remind me of my mother and her final days of life.

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was the sickly cream colored walls, confirming my suspicions. I was indeed in a hospital. _Why?_ It only took a few seconds before flashes of the previous night entered my mind in a hurricane of confusion. I glanced down upon my body and found no injuries, simultaneously doubling-over from intense pain coming from my head. I reached my hand up to my face and gasped as I felt a huge welt forming on my forehead.

_Oh my gosh_

I started hyperventilating, causing my heart rate monitor to speedup tenfold. In the bed next to me, Percy was passed out lying down with numerous medical contraptions surrounding him. He looked so content, with his mouth opened slightly, drooling on the hospital pillow. I almost smiled until I noticed the dark ring around his left eye and the cast assembled on his right arm. My heart rate monitor started beeping even louder, causing me to freak out even more than I already was. Percy woke up quickly upon hearing the loud sounds of my monitor.

"Annabeth, calm down! It's okay!" He shouted.

A pair of nurses rushed in through the door, relieved when they realized that I had only just woken up and wasn't further injured. I eyed Percy as the women propped my back up onto a hard pillow and detached the heart rate monitor and IV from my arm. _What happened_, I mouthed. _Explain later_, he replied, emphasizing his mouth movements causing me to subconsciously giggle. The women said something about waking up and exited the room.

"Did you just giggle?" He asked, talking aloud as the door closed. I scowled.

"You drool in your sleep," I commented, changing the subject. He blushed adorably, noticing the wet spot on his pillow. _Did I just say adorably?_

"You had a concussion," Percy added, obviously trying to change the subject again. I strained my mind to conjure up the happenings of the previous night.

_"Let's go clubbing!"_

_"Whoa Annie, awfully nervous."_

_"After you, birthday girl."_

_"Don't run away, I won't bite."_

I gasped as I realized where I had last been and who had been there with me. "There was a man," I said, not providing the particular details about how I knew_ him_. "He…h-h..he...," I stuttered.

"It's okay Annabeth, he isn't coming back," Percy reassured. "He's actually in jail right now for being over the age to enter a teen club. He also was faulted for being intoxicated, earning him about a weeks' worth of sentence."

"How do you know all of this?" I asked.

"The man and I got in a fight...," Percy started, biting down on his lower lip considering something carefully. "He pushed you down and you passed out. We both beat each other down pretty good but one of the owners stopped us and I explained the situation. The police and ambulance arrived and they took the man away. You and I are here because you had a concussion and I," he glanced down at himself precariously. "I'm not exactly in the best shape," he finished.

_Wow, even with all those bruises and a hospital gown he still looks sexy._

"Shut up," I muttered under my breath. Of course, he heard me say this out loud because I'm just _that_ good.

"What?" _He's even cuter when he's confused._

"Nothing, I just have a headache," I replied, a small blush coloring my cheeks. What was I thinking? What kind of drugs did these people put me on? "What about our friends?" Maybe if I ask more questions, I'll stop thinking. _Hah, fat chance- I never stop thinking_

"They all went home, according to plan, to Silena's house. But, there is a pretty obvious flaw in that plan," he mumbled, distressed.

"Us," I whispered. "My dad is going to _kill_ me when he finds out that I'm in the hospital _again_," I groaned, my headache noticeably worsening. "What time is it?"

"Like two in the morning," he replied casually. "Thanks for waking me up, by the way." Guilt surged through me as I processed his sarcasm coated words.

"Sorry, I was confused! How would you feel if you woke up in a hospital and didn't know why?" I apologized quickly, knowing how much the boy in front of me had helped me in the past few hours. I stood up and walked towards his bed, ultimately deciding to sit at the foot of his bed crisscross style. I smirked when his heart rate sped up. "So I make your heart speed up?"

"Well, you are kind of scary," he laughed. That earned him a whack in the head. "Ow! Do you not see where we are? I'm injured already- I don't need to stay here any longer than necessary." I took another glance at him. One of his arms was under the sheets and this other was resting on top of his knee. I tightened the blanket that I had brought from my bed around myself tighter upon noticing the thick white scar running up the length of his arm. My breath caught in my throat when I realized how careful I needed to be to avoid letting people see all my scars. If I had been further injured, they would have been able to see the train-tracks of white lines crossing every square inch of my body. I noticed how I was still in my clothes from the club while Percy had changed into the standard hospital gown, most likely because his injuries were more physical.

"Where did you get this?" I asked, running my finger down the line on his arm. He shuddered at my touch. I deciphered the look on his face and knew that the next words out of his mouth would be lies.

"A childhood ocean accident. I got a bad injury helping my dad harvest some oysters," Percy answered smoothly. If I hadn't seen his face before he replied, I would have believed him. After seeing how uncomfortable the subject made him, I dismissed it quickly and asked another question.

"So how do you suppose we should get out of here before the morning?"

"I don't know," he shrugged.

"Oh come on, Percy! You seriously can't think of anything?"

"_You're_ supposed to be the smart one, not _me_!"

"Well there is _one _thing…" I smiled, an idea quickly forming in my brain.

**SALLYTOTHERESCUEDUNDUNDUN**

"Mom, slow down! You're gonna get us killed!"

"Just a second Percy. Geez, since when do sports cars _purposely _try to ride the curb and then slow _down _to like 20. I mean come _on_!" The first thing I discovered about Mrs. Jackson was that she preferred to be called Sally- and then that she had an extreme case of road rage. I flinched as she pressed her hand down on the horn repeatedly.

"_Mom_ you're embarrassing me!" Percy hissed. I couldn't help myself from laughing.

"Fine, I'll change the subject. So _you're _the famous Annabeth?"

"_Mom_!"

"Percy talks about you _all_ the time…"

"_Mother_!"

"It's okay Percy, let her talk. I'd like to hear _all _about-" I laughed as Percy buried his head into his hands. "Okay okay, I'll stop. Thanks again for getting us out of the hospital Sally. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't," I admitted, changing the subject.

"It's no problem Annabeth, just make sure it doesn't happen again you two. I don't exactly _enjoy_ waking up at two in the morning to receive calls about my injured son," Sally said before turning her head around and glaring at Percy.

"_Mom_ eyes on the road!" It was going to be a long ride.

**ANDSOMETIMEPASSES**

Upon reaching Percy's apartment after a wild ride, Mrs. Jackson started showing me around their home. I couldn't stop myself from droning on about the architecture of their old style apartment building upon reaching lobby until I realized that nobody was really listening. Where did all this energy come from? During the drive, Mrs. Jackson had helped us create a plan for the next day. I would stay over at the Jackson's house until it the morning so Percy could drive himself and I back to Silena's house. Sally gave me some of Percy's extra clothes to sleep in and led me towards his bedroom.

"Really Sally, it's okay. I can sleep on the couch," I reasoned. She had already offered her home up to me and I didn't want to ask for too much of the Jacksons. Strangely, I already felt at home in the unfamiliar household.

"Annabeth I don't mind, you need to get some sleep." Why did Percy have to be so _nice_? I felt myself frowning as I watched him yawn.

Ten minutes later, I found myself sitting on Percy's bed in the dark. Normally I wasn't one to give in to over-generosity, but I realized I was only keeping Percy and his mom from sleeping even longer by fighting about it. As comfortable as his bed was, I couldn't find myself able to fall asleep.

"Can't fall asleep?" Even in the dark I could still see the smirk plastered across his face as he whispered through the door cracks.

"You too?"

"We don't exactly have the _most_ comfortable couch...," he replied, settling himself next to me on his mattress, his face illuminated by the subtle pool of moonlight spilling through the window. I took this moment to look at him in more detail. His dark hair, tousled from his attempt at sleep, hung just above his eyes. I couldn't help but feel like he was looking through me with his crystalline sea-green eyes as he met my gaze. He was _so_ familiar, like I'd known him in another life or something. I felt strangely comfortable around him, like I'd known him my entire life instead of just for a few months. "Annabeth?"

"Yeah?"

"Want to play a game?" Of course _he_ would want to play a game.

"What _kind _of game?" I questioned, curious.

"How about twenty questions?" I sighed and conceded to the request.

"Alright." I could feel him smile without even looking at him.

"So Annabeth, what do you want to be when you grow up?" As if he didn't know already.

"Are we five Percy?"

"No. Good use of your first question, by the way."

"That doesn't count!" I scowled before answering. "I want to be an architect and design buildings. What about you?"

"Well, when I was younger I wanted to be an Olympic swimmer. Now, I'm not so sure…"

"What changed your mind?" I can't see myself _not_ wanting to be an architect. It was what I always wanted- to build something permanent.

"I hurt my shoulders pretty badly, sports injuries. The physical therapist told me that I needed surgery and my mom couldn't afford it. I haven't swum since." In a flash of moonlight, I saw something flash across his face. Was it guilt? I nudged his shoulder reassuringly and tried to change the depressing mood I'd managed to create with my question.

"Don't let it get you down. There are lots of other jobs that you could do in that field like marine biology or oceanography. You don't _have to_ be the next Michael Phelps you know."

"Favorite color?" He was quick to recover.

"I like green," I replied quickly, almost blushing. Just thinking about his eyes makes me like that color _so _much more. I shivered as another memory flashes through my mind- more green eyes. I shook it off and formulated a question. "Favorite food?"

"Blue cupcakes," Percy replied, nonchalantly. Of course he would like something so bizarre and particular. "With blue coke, of course," he added.

"Do they even make that?"

"If_ they_ is in reference to my mother then yes- all the time. We've got a full stock of blue food coloring in the kitchen." I laughed.

"Any more questions, Percy?" He pondered for a moment before speaking.

"If you could go back in time, what would you change about your life?" _I would have never run away from home. I would have found some way to help Seaweed Brain escape. I would tell my mother to get herself checked for cancer before it took over her entire body. I would go back to the club and knock the terrible man senseless for all the pain he's caused me. I would have not cried and shed tears over problems that I always knew, deep down, could never be solved._

"So much," I admitted. "Almost everything- too much for me to explain."

"You don't have to talk about it," he murmured, staring at my face in the way that I had stared at his own earlier. I felt myself breaking down, my façade of perfection and togetherness fading away quickly. I was _falling, falling, falling. _Suddenly, my heart jolted in excitement as I felt a hand grasp mine, keeping me from tumbling into the depths of darkness that hid behind all the lies. "The past is the past, let's just move forward. _Together_," He said, giving my hand a hopeful squeeze. I sighed and smiled as his arm wrapped around me. Everything was so natural with him and I_ really_ liked it. He was so gentle and cautious and was exactly what I needed from a boy who had seen me at my highest and lowest points throughout the past few months. After being so strong for everybody, I needed someone to just help me _let go_.

"Together," I whispered. I felt myself lying down onto the mattress that suddenly felt like a cloud. "I think I'm going to go to sleep now. Night Percy." My eyelids were quick to close on their own.

"Do you mind if I stay here for a few more minutes? I _promise_ I'll be out as soon as I start getting sleepy." I didn't even ask why.

"Sure, it's your bed anyway," I muttered, wrapping his sheets around myself tighter. They smelled like him, a scent I was quick to enjoy- one of sea salt and mint. I heard the bed creak one last time as he settled himself next to me.

For the first night in ages, my sleep was dreamless. With that information alone, I _knew_ that he had broken his promise.

**READ THE BOTTOM PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE**

IMPORTANTE SECTION BELOW: [A MUST READ]

**AWHHHH wasn't that cute? I decided that I needed a filler chapter in order to bring Percy and Annabeth closer for further events. You can't exactly trust someone with your life unless you actually know them. I am seriously considering making the next chapter Percy POV, so tell me how you guiiise feel about that.**

**Also, I am officially doing a favorite review portion at the end or beginning [depending on my mood, of course] of the chapter. If I ever get to 100 reviews, I'll have some kind of benefit for the 100th reviewer and soforth.**

** In addition to this, ANY questions you post WILL be answered and ANY suggestions you PM or review will be CONSIDERED. I am going to start to try to reply to reviews but my life is craycray so we will see how that goes****... ANYWAY**

**Favorite Review of the [Previous] Chapter: **

Oh my goodnessness. That was mind blowing ~Mighty Ruler of Gummi Bears

**_I try_**

**PS. **Can you all PLEASE stop reviewing: update, the day after I post the chapter! I mean, I get it if a month has passed and you wanna troll me, but seriously? I want FEEDBACK not demands. GET IT? GOT IT? GOOD.

**Kbye, loove AE**


	5. If I could write it

**A thousand apologies wouldn't sum up how bad I feel for putting this off for like 2 months. I can say I was busy, which I was, but this story was always on the back of my mind. I hope this chapter is good enough to satisfy you for a week or two more before I get time to write again- but I had load of trouble coming up with this. It was rewritten several times and I still don't like it.**

**I apologize for it's shortness- but here it is... **

**Chapter 4: **If I could write it

_Percy's POV_

I've always loved Christmas. Unlike _normal _kids, I don't have memories of my dad dressing up like Santa Claus in some cliché red suit. Christmas was always just my mom and I sitting at my favorite blue table in the kitchen, hot gluing ornaments from pinecones and sticks. Then my mom makes the _best _blue chocolate chip cookies because of our little inside joke about my obsession with blue. But this Christmas my mom and I are driving out to our favorite spot, Montauk beach, and renting a house for a week. I'm so excited that I can't stop myself from tapping my feet on the school's tile floor (as if my ADHD didn't contribute to it).

"Well aren't you hyper today?" It's funny how sometimes I _swear_ Annabeth Chase can read my mind. Since I met her, we've gotten closer and closer to a point where I now consider her as my best friend. I mean, I don't have_ a lot_ of friends, but she is definitely one of my closest friends that I have met since I started going to school again. It doesn't help that she's gorgeous and smells like lemons (the good kind).

"I'm just excited to get out of here. All we have left is English class and we're home free!" I shouted, throwing my arms up in the air. I'm good at making myself look stupid, especially when I'm in front of Annabeth. We were both sitting next to each other towards the back of the room. It wasn't long before I heard our teacher clearing his throat.

"Hello class! Both you and I are glad that today is the last day until Winter break. Unfortunately, I was alerted today that the district is administrating an essay contest and I am required to make it your assignment for the day. You have the rest of the class period to write about your most traumatic experience. You can make something up or you can write from honest experience, I really don't care. At the end of class I will collect your essays for a grade. The only people who will see these are myself and the school district contest judges who will not be disclosed your name or information. The winner of the contest gets an automatic A+ for the quarter. You may begin!" As our English teacher, Mr. Brunner, finished his explanation, I could feel the gears in my brain turning. I had always been looking for an opportunity like this where I could just be _honest _without anyone knowing.

I glanced over at Annabeth only to see that she already had taken out a sheet of paper and was writing vigorously. After a few anxious taps of my pencil on my chin, I had made my decision. With the new writing skills I had acquired from just listening to Annabeth babble for the past few months, I was going to write about _my most traumatic experience_. I couldn't allow myself to become conflicted with my decision- I was sure I wouldn't get this opportunity to let out my feelings without being judged anytime soon. I was going to do this. I was going to write about the reason why I wake up sweating and screaming almost every night and about the chills that run up and down my spine every time I look down towards the ground.

It wasn't like I was going to win or anything.

* * *

**M**y life can be divided into two parts: before and after Athena's death. For years, Athena was just a fairy tale to me- a seed that my father had planted in my brain like the ones my mom plants in her window boxes. Every night before bed my father Poseidon would sit by my bedside and read from storybooks (the same ones over and over, if I may mention). But, one day I stayed up a little later than I was supposed to. I closed my eyes but didn't fall asleep. My father, who I had known to be a cold emotionless rock most of the time, began whispering stories that were definitely _not_ from the storybooks as soon as I closed my eyes. Slowly but surely, the pieces of his life fell together into the misshapen puzzle that I had always known they would. But, something was different this time. This time he _cared_.

"At the time, it was impossible for me to say that there was one I despised more than Athena. She was the queen bee of our high school and my only competitor for captain of the Greek club." The puzzle also showed that my dad was a total _dork _in high school, but that's another story. "By the end of junior year, we were probably the most well-known enemies in high school. Over the summer before senior year, Athena and I both grew up a little bit. I still remember that first day of school when she walked in so elegantly that everyone stared. Her dark curls were pulled back in a ponytail making it look like she wasn't trying to be beautiful, but I know she was. She_ told_ me." By that portion of his bedtime story, I knew where it was going. He was going to fall in love with her and he was going to fall _hard_. "One day the tension between us snapped and next thing I knew I was introducing her to my parents as my girlfriend. I dated a lot of girls in my day, but Athena was a queen among them- a God among mortals. One of the reasons we always hated each other was because ironically, both our parents were crazy about Greek mythology and named us after Gods. After we started dating, we shared the leadership of Greek club and everything was_ perfect_…" I remember his voice dropping. "I was so in love with her that it made me blind to the outside world. I forgot about college and where I was going- I just wanted it to be with _her_. When she was accepted to a high class school in California, I knew I couldn't follow her. We went our separate ways, me staying here in New York, and her in California. She met a man, had a child, and moved back here. I would have felt like she was rubbing it in my face if I hadn't met Sally first and_ you_… _You_ were a mistake, a flaw in the plan. I was_ supposed _to be with Athena, I was _supposed _to be happy." I never told my mom about his stories- how could I have? She loved my dad too much to know how he really felt about her. My father would cry and I would listen, mad at him breaking my mother's heart and _Athena_ for breaking his.

Months passed and I grew older with each day as our family settled back into a pattern without heartfelt bedtime stories and secret revelations. I was okay for a few months, even if my father went out of his way to neglect me. I would see him most nights at dinner when we would all, my parents and I, sit around our circular table and eat in silence. February 19th was the first day I ever saw my father cry. As a 10 year old, it was unusual to watch the light empty from his eyes as if it had become shrouded by clouds and his resolute façade crumble. A man, once so proud and stern, turned inside out. At first I didn't believe it- but when I saw my parents discussing it in the kitchen one day my fear my confirmed. My mother cried because she loved him and he cried because Athena had died, his heart seemingly dying with her.

Flash forward a week, I was wandering through the woods with my best friend from elementary. Suddenly, everything was black and red with screams, most likely my own, wailing through the vacant spaces of an empty forest. Then there was a sound of a car motor rattling beneath me as I kicked and kicked the nothingness surrounding me. It was darkness, I decided, that had swallowed me up and spit me out into a cold cell with wet floors and rusty bars. I didn't think I would be able to bear the silence until _she _appeared one day in the cell next to me. I knew she was afraid, as was I, and we cried together filling the empty silences, drowning out the sound of mysterious substances pattering against the ground from the ceiling. She told me about her family and how they neglected her, almost like mine had, and how she had run away from home, getting captured while settling in Central Park. She wanted to be an architect and I told her that she'd build the greatest building _one day._

Once, after what felt like every few days, the people who had brought me to the cell would question me in a room so bright my eyes had trouble adjusting. They told me that they had contacted my father and put a price on my freedom. It was a lot of money, but not to my father. He had been drowning in his own paychecks since his company went international. I told them he wasn't coming, even if the amount was reasonable. _Athena _was the only thing on his mind- the reason why I knew he had no intention of telling my mother that he had talked to my kidnappers. They had only wanted his money and the secret of my capture was Poseidon's to keep.

At one point I stopped crying even at the hardest beatings and whippings. It came to a point where I could trace train-tracks up and down my back with slices down the length of my arms. She, Wise Girl as I called her, had injuries that were almost seemingly worse because of her stubbornness. At one point a new boy had been brought into the underground jail and Wise Girl was moved to my cell. It made it better to have someone to hold onto, but my agony worsened when she returned from worse and worse beatings. One day she came back with _bitch_ carved into her arm and I knew that she _needed_ to get out of here and that the people who did this would _pay_. We created an escape plan and put it into action. I distracted the guard and she ran, ran, ran, until she reached the ladder to the top. I, luckily, had given the guard a good punch and was given the opportunity to follower her. We both climbed the tall ladder nimbly and before I knew it she had reached the top. But when I felt a tug on my left leg I knew that only one of us was going to make it out that day.

The beatings got worse once she was gone because they knew I was the reason she had escaped. It had felt like years and Poseidon still hadn't come. It was hard for me to believe when the boy who had always sat in the corner of his cell whispered to me one day that I was going to make it out of here. He told me that he had a plan of his own and that he was going to stay here. He _liked_ the darkness, the pain, the mystery in a room full of shadows. I don't know how he did it, but he somehow got my cell unlocked, giving me a clear opportunity to run. Next thing I knew, I was standing on solid ground again, blind. The darkness had taken my sight away from me and had left me with a harsh blur of colors in my line of vision. Somehow, I made it home that night by bus, barely able to decipher the difference between a tree and a house. Overtime, after numerous trips to the eye doctor, I had my full sight back. My mother and I would cry together every night because I was home and she was no longer alone. Poseidon had left her high and dry after I disappeared, no longer obligated to stay home for my sake.

Two years I spent in a cell, underground, almost if not always alone. All the troubling thoughts, PTSD diagnoses, and days spent alone in bed with nightmares had left a terrible mark on my life. Now I strive to forgive and forget, even if memories of torture are written all over my skin. But as it stands, I still blame Athena for starting everything- a domino effect. If she hadn't left my father and stubbornly separated from him at the start of college, maybe things would be different. Even then if she hadn't distracted my father by passing so early, maybe I would still be _normal._ Regardless of the 'what ifs' and maybes, Athena still made dark marks across my past. The mark of Athena- it is the beginning and it is the end- as it burns through my life like wildfire, ready to be extinguished. My life can be divided into two parts: before and after Athena's death.

* * *

I took a deep breath as I lowered my dull pencil and stopped writing. The emotions and feelings that were running through my mind felt like they were going to break through any minute and create a flood worse than one that could be caused by the Hoover Dam.

"Percy, are you okay?" Annabeth whispered across the space in between our desks. I guess I wasn't doing as well of a job as I thought with concealing my emotions.

"Definitely," I replied swiftly. The loud ringing of the dismissal bell saved me from further interrogation.

"Percy, can you stay after class for a minute or so? I need to speak to you," Mr. Brunner announced.

"Do you want me to wait for you outside?" Annabeth asked.

"I'll meet you at your locker," I replied anxiously. Annabeth was willing to wait for _me_.

After Annabeth left her essay on Mr. Brunner's desk, a silence spread through the room. I knew that he probably wanted to talk about my grade which happens to be way below average.

"Do you mind if I read your essay? I want to see if you have made any progress with your writing." I'm sure I looked spooked after he said that, like I was ready to run for the hills. I _could_ just tell him I made it up. I'm not sure he would believe it anyway. What do I have to lose?

"Sure," I murmured, hopefully sounding smoother than I sounded in my head. I passed my paper across his desk into his hands and waited.

Mr. Brunner, I discovered, is an agonizingly slow reader. His face continued to transform and contort into different positions as he passed through each paragraph. I winced as he dropped my paper and turned to me with an awestruck gaze.

"You wrote this?"

"Annabeth has been helping me with my writing a little bit…" I trailed off, not expecting that reaction.

"Percy, you have never once done well on any of my tests or quizzes related to writing and yet when I give you an assignment you seem to show the traits that I've been hoping to help you develop under my teaching. It's like you know how to write well, creatively yet professionally, and yet you don't comprehend what exactly you are doing." He paused momentarily for breath. "What I'm trying to say is that I'm guaranteed that this essay is probably one of the best, if not the greatest, essay written by anyone in your class."

"Thanks… I think?"

"And additionally, how did you come up with this idea so fast? I gave you a short period of time to write and yet you create a piece with a surplus of detail and a perspective that makes me believe this actually did happen to you." The look in his eyes changed for a moment to something much darker. "This didn't happen to you, right?"

"Uh- I…" When I heard myself begin to stutter, I knew I was down for the count. I am terrible at hiding things from people. I felt myself becoming less tense as the looking in my English teacher's eyes softened tenfold.

"Are you okay?" He asked quickly. "Do I need to speak to the guidance counselor or maybe a mental-"

"No, please don't! I'm okay Mr. Brunner, I really am. It was a long time ago. I made it seem much more dramatic in the essay." _I'm slowly dying inside. It seems like yesterday. I didn't even begin to expand upon the scars that you can't see on the outside of my skin._

"We will talk about this more after break. For now, Merry Christmas." With the subtle wave of his dismissing hand, I grabbed my bag and I ran, ran, ran.

** Hope that tickled your fancy! Don't expect such a long wait next time; again- sorry. I'm going to see Le Mis tomorrow (so excited) and I hope that your weekends are equally satisfying. **

**Reviewer of the Chapter: I loved them all**

**I am so happy you all listened and didn't complain every 2 seconds and responded with care.**

**I love you all for that.**


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